How much does a building certifier cost?

There is no set price. Most private certifiers and building surveyors set their own fee, so the quote depends on the structure, the inspections it needs, how complete your drawings are and what the block adds. What you can control is how you compare quotes: line up what each includes, not only the total.

Who charges the fee?

The person who assesses the work. The title varies by state: building certifier, private certifier, registered certifier or building surveyor. You choose and pay them yourself in most states, or a builder or patio company folds the fee into its own quote, and you can ask for that part to be shown separately. They do not act for you, though. They check the work against the rules, and a design that misses has to change. The post on council and private certifiers explains how the roles divide.

What does the fee usually cover?

checking the plans, the engineering and the siting against the rules
the approval or certificate itself and its documents
the inspections at the stages the approval sets
the final certificate that closes the job
lodging the paperwork with the council

Some quotes include all of these, and others list the inspections or the council’s lodgement charge separately.

What makes the fee rise?

a larger or more complex structure, with more checks
more inspections, and travel to a site far from the certifier’s base
siting outside the rules, which can bring a referral to the council or a planning step
flood, bushfire, heritage or character mapping on the lot
incomplete drawings, which bring requests for more information
a failed inspection, or changes after the approval is issued

What is not in the certifier’s fee?

The drawings and the engineering, because a certifier assesses those and does not produce them. Expect separate costs for the site plan and elevations, the engineering for the wind class of the lot, a soil test where the footings call for one, and the council’s own charges for a referral or a planning step. State levies or portal charges apply to some work as well, and some certifiers collect them with their fee. The post on what a site plan costs covers the drawing itself.

How do I compare certifier quotes?

Ask each one for the scope in writing, then check the same things across all of them: which inspections are included, what an extra or failed one costs, whether lodgement and state charges are inside the price, how a referral or a request for more information is charged, whether the figure includes tax, and how long the assessment takes once the drawings are complete. Check their licence or registration with the state before you sign.

Reading it for your own lot

RapidSiteplan reads the council and building rules for your lot from its address, checks the design against them as you place it, lets you edit it as often as you like, and prints the site plan. Site plans and assessments in minutes. A complete sheet is what cuts a certifier’s hours, and it shows up front whether the siting calls for a referral.

Search your address, see what the plan shows for a shed, carport or other outbuilding, or read what we hold for Townsville. Site plans by council covers the rest of Australia.

Common questions

How much does a building certifier cost? There is no set price, because most certifiers set their own fee. It rises with the size and kind of structure, the number of inspections and anything the block adds. Compare what each quote includes, not only the total.

What do private certifier fees cover? Usually the assessment of the plans, the approval or certificate, the inspections at the set stages, the final certificate and lodging the paperwork with the council. The drawings and the engineering are not included.

Is a council certifier fee cheaper than a private one? Not necessarily. Where a council offers the service it sets its own fee, and some councils do not offer it at all.